As the US struggles to counter nuclear threats from adversaries like Russia, China, and North Korea, President Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system poses significant technical challenges in its implementation.
In the face of nuclear threats from adversaries like Russia, China, and North Korea, President Donald Trump‘s plan for a next-generation missile defense system, dubbed the ‘Golden Dome,’ aims to provide reliable protection for the United States. However, some scientists argue that implementing such a system poses significant technical challenges.
The physics behind missile defense is one of the primary obstacles to deploying the Golden Dome system. One of the primary obstacles to deploying the Golden Dome system is understanding the physics involved in intercepting incoming missiles. Interceptors face a daunting task: hitting a bullet with a bullet traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 20. The boost phase, during which the warhead remains within the missile, presents an additional challenge due to its limited duration.
Missile defense systems are designed to detect, track, and intercept incoming missiles.
These systems use a combination of radar, command centers, and interceptor missiles to protect against ballistic missile threats.
The most common types of missile defense systems include ground-based interceptors, sea-based Aegis systems, and airborne warning and control systems (AWACS).
According to the Missile Defense Agency, over 100 countries possess some form of missile defense capability, with the United States leading the development of advanced systems.
The boost phase lasts only a few minutes, making it difficult to position interceptors close enough to the launch site. Even if interceptors were stationed over the country of interest, they would need to be launched quickly and accurately to intercept missiles traveling at high speeds. The American Physical Society report suggests that ensuring protection from just one North Korean ICBM would require more than 1,000 interceptors in orbit.
Estimates suggest that the space-based effort alone could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over a period of 20 years. With an already significant budget for missile defense over the past 70 years, the cost tag is bound to be a thorny issue. Experts argue that without specific goals for the number of ICBMs to be intercepted, it’s unclear how plausible the plan is.
Defending against Russia and China would demand more satellites simply to cover a wider geographic area than needed for North Korea alone. The difference in scale between defending a small region versus a large continent poses an enormous challenge. Some proposals may be deemed infeasible without further research.
While the Golden Dome system has garnered attention, it’s essential to acknowledge that implementing such a complex system requires significant investments in research and development. The scientific community must come together to address these challenges and provide concrete solutions to ensure the success of the ‘Golden Dome‘ system.
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- sciencenews.org | Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ plan has a major obstacle: Physics
